The Netherlands has been providing support for more than 30 years and the support is linked to the Bangladesh government's intention to address the crucial issues in the water sector, Horst said.

He was addressing the launching ceremony of a Dutch-supported Tk 55 crore Estuary Development Programme of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) in the city.

Presided over by BWDB Director General Sharif Rafiqul Islam, the ceremony was also addressed by first secretary of the Royal Netherlands Embassy Neils Veenis, additional director general of BWDB Golam Mostafa, Bram van der Boon of the Netherlands, BWDB chief of planning Habibur Rahman and project director Wadud Bhuiyan.

"This day marks the start of the exciting new project of BWDB that is co-funded by the government of the Netherlands. Today begins the implementation of Tk 55 crore Estuary Development Programme. The Dutch government is providing a grant of Tk 50 crore to help the BWDB in its efforts to improve management of coastal areas," the Dutch foreign ministry official said.

Neils mentioned that through scientific studies and pilot projects at different locations, the Estuary Development Programme is expected to raise the living standard of the people in the coastal area and contribute to attaining the national goal of poverty reduction.

He also said that his country is ready to support Bangladesh, especially in the water sector, since it is crucially important for the overall development and poverty reduction in Bangladesh, which is just a meter of two above the sea-level and is threatened by the climate changes.

In the near future, Neils said, the Netherlands will explore the possibilities for a multi-agency, multi-donor programme for integrated coastal zone management, provided the government agencies concerned agree on a common cooperation framework, under the Coastal Zone Policy and Coastal Development Strategy.